


Tripping through time

by LittleRit



Series: The Time Traveller's Life [3]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Time Traveler's Wife Fusion, Christmas Fluff, Deleted Scenes, Fluff, Gen, Merry Klausmas, No time travellers wife knowledge needed, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sibling Bonding, Time Travel, extra scenes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:02:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28245867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleRit/pseuds/LittleRit
Summary: Ever since he was five and half, Number Five has found himself displacing all over his own timeline. This uncontrollable time travel was an annoying, but mostly interesting, side effect to his powers when he was younger, and might end up with an older Klaus who might take him to Griddy's for doughnuts. The problem suddenly became more serious after he ran away and found himself stuck in the Apocalypse.A collection of oneshots/side-stories from the universe of Time Traveller's Life - mainly scenes that didn't fit into the main narrative. Could possibly be read as stand-alones without reading the main fic.
Relationships: Number Five | The Boy & Klaus Hargreeves
Series: The Time Traveller's Life [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1926658
Comments: 16
Kudos: 50





	1. The great debut

**Author's Note:**

> If you are reading this as standalones without the main fic Time Traveller’s life, all you need to know is that Five often time travels throughout his own timeline and he can’t control it. Klaus is the only sibling that knows about it, even after Five disappears into the apocalypse.
> 
> These are scenes or flashbacks or ideas that I had for the main fic and couldn't make work in the main story for one reason or another, but liked enough that I wanted to polish them up and share with you guys.
> 
> I hope you enjoy them - let me know in the comments what you think <3

**Late September 2002. Five is nearly 13.**

The others think Five is working on his homework, or that Dad has given him an extra project to work on because of his powers. Five knows this, because Four had questioned why he was doing extra math when he didn’t like it.

Five is quite content to sit on this lie, if it means they won’t ask too many questions.

Because Four is right, Five doesn’t like math. It’s not the worst thing they have to learn – that’s probably Latin, because Pogo has yet to adequately justify why they need to learn a dead language, and how it could be useful. At least math is a practical skill, with logical answers.

It is just so tedious and boring, having to go through all the steps to get to an answer. Five would much rather be _doing_ something.

But this? This is a project set by his older self. A much, much older self – so old he has wrinkles and grey hair. So, Five is going to reluctantly trust that he knows what he is on about, when he says Five is going to want to learn this math.

Apparently, he is going to need it if he wants to take the next step with his powers.

Time travel.

Now if you would have asked Five if he was that bothered about deliberate time travel before, he would probably have said no. There is no point in visiting the past – it has already happened, and he has already been there. It can be a nice break sometimes, when training is hard, but generally it is not too exciting. And visiting the future is just… well it’s annoying. It is like a plate of doughnuts being put in front of him, and everybody else eating some, yet Five is being told he can’t have any. Whenever he _has_ ended up displaced into the future, Four never tells him anything truly important about what is going to happen anyway.

(Okay, so he did let slip what their birthday presents were going to be one year, but that’s it).

But then his older self had dropped in and suggested that if he could learn to deliberately time travel, then the next step could be to stop himself from time travelling at all.

And that sounds good. Really good. To live in the present, all the time, and not have to appear naked somewhere at the drop of a hat, unsure if there will be anybody around to help?

Sound amazing actually.

…It even sounds like a good enough reason to learn extra math.

And that is why Five finds himself sat in the library with Four on a Thursday evening, with two physics and a math textbook, trying to mathematically figure out how to access the temporal dimension. Two and Seven had been with them as well, but Seven had finished up early to go and practice her violin before supper, and Two had eventually had enough of Four’s ‘studying’ - which had started well, but quickly devolved into a lot of humming, doodling in margins and throwing of paper airplanes to try and distract Two and Five from their work.

Five is in the middle of aggressively punching numbers into his calculator when he vanishes, stumbling into a tiled corridor and nearly falling on his face. He looks up in time see his younger self disappear from in front of Four.

Four’s eyes are wide behind his domino mask, as he fumbles to keep hold of the now empty academy blazer that he has been left grasping at the shoulder. The rest of Five’s uniform slumps to the floor in a crumpled pile. It only takes Five a second or two and a glance at the polished black and white tiles to figure out when he is.

This is their first mission – the great Umbrella Academy debut – and they are here to interrupt an armed robbery and free the hostages.

Five had felt so sick with nerves, so anxious to perform well and not be the weak link on the team, that he had ended up triggering a displacement from the stress.

Luckily, whilst six months has done a lot to teach him to control his nerves, it hasn’t done much for his height – it shouldn’t be difficult to literally step into his own shoes and run this mission for himself. It’s not as if his younger self is coming back any time soon – he will be too busy trying to help an apathetic eight year old Five to recite his Homer correctly, and won’t return until midnight (and hadn’t that been fun, landing in a dark, locked and security patrolled bank in the middle of the night – thank god for his powers).

Four startles as Five appears next to his elbow. “Quick, help hand me those.” Five says, already leaning down to grab the shirt off the floor. He undoes just enough buttons to pull it straight over his head, wiggling his arms through the sleeves. “Not got much time!”

“Christ, Five! That’s good timing, you just disappeared and-”

“It was a short one luckily. See? I’m back already.” Five lies, hopping slightly as he tries to pull up the academy shorts as quickly as possible. “C’mon, I need to be ready.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Four says, relaxing now Five has reappeared. He helps hold out the blazer for Five to slip his arms into. “We’ve got another couple of minutes at least. One isn’t quite in position on the roof yet.”

Five doesn’t think Four realises just how eager most of the team are to finally be doing real missions. He doubts they are going to double check everybody is in position before they move, too pumped up on adrenaline.

“Quit your gabbing Four, and help undo the laces on my shoes.” He mutters, tightening the loop of his tie and laying his shirt collar down flat. He reaches down and starts pulling on his socks. “Three will be going in any time now!”

“Nah, we’ve got plenty-” Four is interrupted by the pop of gunfire down the corridor. Five curses and shoves his feet into his shoes, pulling the laces tight and stuffing them down the sides – there is no time to tie them neatly.

He looks up with a grin. “That’s our cue!” He says, turning Four and pushing him towards the corner to go join the others, his heart starting to race with anticipation.

“Now hurry up!” he says, and vanishes in a swirl of blue to make his entrance.

***

When Five uses his power to switch out the gun for a stapler, a handy little trick he’s learnt recently, he nearly misses the familiar face amongst the hostages that One is trying to stand in front of. It isn’t difficult for him to recognise the wrinkles and neatly trimmed white beard, especially when the face under the hat is unnervingly cheerful for a shoot-out hostage. He hasn’t known this old self very long, but he couldn’t mistake him for anybody else. But he barely has time to wonder what on earth his older self is doing in the bank, too busy being drawn back into the action.

***

After the excitement is over, with the would-be robbers all ‘dealt with’ by Six, and the screaming hostages (sans old Five who seems to have vanished again) released down the front steps by Four and Five, they line up behind the door, quickly checking each other over.

Not to check for injuries, but to neaten their ties and make sure their masks are on straight (there isn’t much that can be done for the blood on Six, but Four helps him tuck in his shirt and gives him a pat on the shoulder all the same). They don’t fancy the consequences should they present themselves to the world at anything less than their father’s ideal standard.

Then they spill out on to the steps, One with his chin held high, Two and Three near skipping behind him as the camera’s flash and the crowd roars with questions. Even Four has been caught up in the excitement, bounding down the steps with barely a glance over his shoulder for Five and Six, who step into line last.

Four leans his elbow on Five’s shoulder (his new favourite thing to do since he has hit his growth spurt and realises just how much it annoys Five who hasn’t) and Five turns to whisper a death threat just as the camera’s flash.

And that is the photo that makes the front pages of the newspapers that get delivered to the mansion the next morning. They each get a copy, numbers One through Six - an unheard of treat to get to read the news of what happens outside the walls of their home.

The Five that gets the newspaper is the original Five, sitting at breakfast and trying not to yawn after his late night return home. Whilst his siblings huddle in a circle, pouring over their newspapers and reciting their favourite passages, or recounting their favourite moments from the mission, Five quietly reads the article as quickly as he can.

It wouldn’t do to let on he has absolutely no idea what happened on the mission. Especially when even Two has been telling him how badass he was all morning.

Instead, he cuts out the photo, same as Four, except where Four pins his above his desk as a reminder to tease Five for his lack of a growth spurt, Five quietly asks Pogo for a frame and keeps his in his drawer.

And when he’s nervous, he pulls out the picture and stares at his own relaxed and smiling face, and he reminds himself that he can be that snarky, confident Five on missions too. If he wants to be.

But he resolves he is never, ever telling Four about how he flaked on their first mission.

Four would never let him live it down.


	2. Merry Klausmas

**Christmas Eve 2004. Five and Klaus are both 15.**

Displacing to a mansion full of noise and people had not been something Five had ever expected to do.

So, when he instinctively ducks behind the decorated stair bannister, it takes him a second to realise that wait, it is _decorated_. He reaches out with a finger to delicately touch the ribbons, leans forward to take a smell of the pine branches, breathing deeply to hold on to the fresh and comforting smell as long as he can.

How beautifully strange.

A burst of laughter below has him crouching further, tentatively peering between the rails. Groups of people, dressed in colourful dresses and smart suits all mingle, hands clasped around glasses of wine as they laugh and smile.

Five realises everything is starting to sound quite far away as he stares at all the people, and he draws in quick and shallow breaths. Backing away from the bannister, he glances around quickly to check nobody can see him – the dirty, naked, and smelly boy at the top of the stairwell - before he rises into a semi crouch and scuttles down the corridor towards Klaus’ bedroom as fast as he can.

When he slips inside, there is no Klaus to be seen. He slumps in disappointment, but then shakes his shoulders and reminds himself that Klaus always liked being around people – there is no way with a seeming party going on (and isn’t that an alien thought – a party in the mansion?) that Klaus isn’t going to be down there talking to as many people as can stand his charm.

Still, Five would like to see him if he gets chance. So, he fishes around the desk for a piece of blank paper and tries three pens until he finds one that works, before leaving a note on Klaus’ bed.

“Bath5”

He frowns at it, hoping Klaus will realise it is a number not an ‘S’ but unwilling to be more obvious just in case anybody else (say Pogo, or their father) sees it. Then he putters to the wardrobe and pulls down a hanger with a neatly pressed and clean uniform, swipes Klaus’ comb from the side and sneaks out of the door and across to the bathroom.

God, Five loves it when he displaces back to the mansion and can take a bath. He also loves it when its night-time and he can sneak down to the kitchen for a feast, but with this many people around even Five’s empty belly knows it’s not a good idea.

He steals some of the lavender scented bubble bath and pours a generous helping into the tub as he sets the tap to run. It is one of Klaus’ favourites, and when he had tried to suggest it to Five last year, Five had wrinkled his nose and reached instead for the plain soap-scented solution he had assumed was probably Diego’s. But Klaus had tipped it in whilst his back was turned, and since Five hasn’t been in the habit of wasting anything since he was 13, he had gritted his teeth and resigned himself to a smelly floral experience.

Instead, he found that despite himself, he really enjoyed it. His shoulders had felt looser, and his mood had felt calmer after the bath, as if the simple scents could soothe away a tension that he hadn’t even realised he was carrying.

(It had nothing to do with how the smell lingered on his skin so strongly that he could still smell a little bit of home on himself two days later, once he was back in the apocalypse. Nothing to do with that at all.)

After making sure the door is definitely locked, Five steps gingerly into the steaming water, before slowly lowering himself with a sigh. The bath is only half full – and the bubble bath is within easy reach – for the simple reason that the bubbles very quickly disappear, and the water turns brown and murky as he begins to use a washcloth to scrub the dust and dirt from his skin. Dunking his shoulder length hair into the water and working in some shampoo (and he definitely hasn’t stolen Allison’s strawberry-scented bottle) he sets to methodically working out the tangles with the borrowed comb.

A small while later, after Five has refreshed the bath with clean water, he sits and soaks in the heat. His thoughts drift as he lets himself exist only in the present, enjoying the feeling of freshly scrubbed skin and clean toes, and not thinking about hunger, or shelter, or survival. He feels like he never wants to move again when a knock comes at the door. He barely has time to think _oh shit_ before Klaus’ voice comes through in a stage whisper, and he relaxes again.

“Hey, Fivey, let me in!”

Five steps out of the bath carefully, and steps gingerly over the cold tiles to the door to unlock it, before tiptoeing quickly back to sit in the tub under what remains of the bubbles. He looks up in time to see Klaus turning away from re-locking the door, with some sort of tissue-wrapped bundle in hand.

“Hey!” Klaus grins, stepping over to the toilet and putting the lid down so he can perch on it. Five stares, because he has never seen his brother look so smart, smart black trousers, a crisp white shirt, and a black bow tie. “I brought you something! Well, actually it was for me, I snuck it from the party to have later tonight or tomorrow, because Dad’s such a hardass, we won’t get any more treats – but anyway!” He barely sucks in a breath before continuing rapidly. “I saw your note and thought you might like it instead, since I did already get a bit at the party, so _ta-dah!”_

A piece of cake is brandished at Five. The sponge is dark and smells sweet with a glittering white icing wrapped around. He reaches out for it and gives it another sniff before trying it, the strong taste of spices and sweet sugary icing almost melting across his tongue.

Klaus cackles at the groan that escapes him. “That good huh?” Five flushes but nods, already well into his second bite.

“Now c’mon, let’s go to the roof. I’ve got a bit more cake _and_ I even managed to sneak a bottle of the wine from the table.”

***

By the time they make it to the roof Five is bundled in nearly three layers of clothes. Klaus had took one look at the uniform Five was going to borrow and delightedly showed him the chest of drawers which had normal clothes – apparently they had each gotten a selection from Mom for their most recent birthday, along with extended free time on Saturday mornings where they were allowed to leave the academy.

Five can’t imagine it, can’t imagine what they could do with the time, but Klaus seems happy with it all. Cheerfully chattering about his new favourite shop whilst bundling Five into a thick navy sweater, a pair of jeans, the academy coat and a matching green hat and scarf.

All of which he is rather grateful for as they sit on the bench on the roof, their sides plastered together and elbows knocking each other’s ribs but both silently refusing to move further apart. The city it lit up, fuzzy light coming through the haze of lightly falling flakes, and he can hear cheerful calls and drunk carol singing on the street as people trickle out of the party.

They have already eaten their cake by the time they sit down – having first leant over the wall around the roof garden and watched the people below. They had made their fun by making up pretentious names for them and wild stories of just how they might know their father. Inventing wild reasons for why they got invited to the party.

(Five’s personal favourite was when Klaus declared a woman in a scarlet coat to be called Priscilla, and Five had decided that the reason she was at the party was because she knew Reginald was secretly an alien and had threatened to tell the world if he didn’t invite her).

The actual boring reason for it all, according to Klaus, is for publicity and image. Apparently, their father was quite the academic socialite before he adopted them all, and he used to throw highbrow parties like this every year. With the Umbrella Academy a roaring public success, and the children now deemed old enough to be polite rather than an embarrassment, he had decided to host another and rekindle his network.

Klaus hands him an academy mug filled with the stolen wine, and gently clinks his mug against it. “Merry Christmas Fivey!”

Five turns and smiles back mischievously.

“Merry Klausmas Four!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have seen Netflix’s ‘We wish you a merry klausmas’ video on youtube right? If not, please treat yourself. I had it stuck in my head for days.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this piece of fluff <3
> 
> For those of you that celebrate it, I wish you a Merry Klausmas, otherwise I wish you a happy holidays and a happy new year!


	3. Midnight Fluffernutters

**February 1998. Four is 8. Five is 9.**

“Shh!” Five chides a giggling Four as they sneak their way into the kitchen in the dark and fumble around for the light switch.

It’s late, possibly near midnight, and they have come in search of a snack. A fierce winter storm howls outside, causing the windows to rattle occasionally. The storm is actually what had woken Four up. A particularly strong gust had caused something to fall with a bang in the alley under his bedroom window, and he had woken with a start to find Five next to him, curled up on top of the bed covers and shivering slightly due to his lack of clothes. So, Four had shook him awake and lent him a pair of warm, flannel pyjamas to wear, the light blue shirt sleeves and trouser legs coming up comically short on Five’s longer limbs.

“No, you shush!” Four says, sticking his tongue out as they approach the cupboards. He pouts. “I wish we could have a hot chocolate.”

Five glances down at him from where he has blinked onto the counter in order to reach the taller shelves. “Yeah, me too.”

Four sighs. “With marshmallows and whipped cream.” He says dreamily. “Just like Mom makes after we’ve been training in the snow!”

Five eyes up the stove top, then looks at Four again. “We can’t make it. We can’t wake Mom up, and I don’t trust you not to set the kitchen on fire.” Four pouts, but Five is probably right. He did knock over a candle and nearly set light to his bedroom curtains during a power outage not that long ago.

“Fiiiiine.” He says. “What should we have instead then?”

Five turns and starts looking through the cupboard. “Have you ever had a fluffernutter sandwich before?” He asks, voice muffled as he sorts through the jars.

“No.”

“You’ll love it.” Five says, turning around to pass a jar of peanut butter to Four. “It’s my favourite. It’s basically sugar.”

“Okay!” Four says brightly, taking the jar and turning around to put it on the table. He goes through the lower cupboards drawers until he finds the plates and knives. He places them on the table next to the bag of marshmallows and bread loaf that Five blinks across with.

“What now?”

“First,” Five says, laying out four pieces of white bread and picking up a knife. “-we add the peanut butter!” He used the knife to add a dollop of the spread on to one of his pieces of bread, before trying to spread it evenly across the bread. "And then, we put the marshmallow on the top."

Four is just digging his knife into the jar when they are disturbed by a quiet- “Oh!”

Their heads snap up to see Seven peeking around the doorway, leaning into the shadowed wall as if to hide herself. Four sighs with relief - thank god it wasn’t Pogo, or worse, their Dad - then grins, gesturing wildly with his knife. “Seven! Come here, we’re having a feast!”

He can hear Five grumbling next to him as he ducks away from the swinging knife, but he pulls out another two pieces of bread. “We’re making fluffernutter sandwiches – do you want one?”

Seven shuffles across to the other side of the table, one hand rubbing away the sleep from her eyes. “Yes please.” She says, and then yawns. “What’s a fluffernutter?”

“It’s peanut butter-”

“A sugar sandwich!” Four crows, putting a marshmallow into his mouth. Five sighs and finishes spreading his peanut butter for him, then does the same for Seven, who is pulling out a chair to sit down.

“It’s a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich.” Five tries again. “It’s my favourite, because it’s easy to make and gives me lots of energy.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that.” Seven says with a little smile, watching him lay out the marshmallows, alternating the pink and white ones as he goes. Four follows behind and places the other piece of bread on top and at Fives nod, he gleefully squashes it flat. He uses the knife to cut the sandwich in half, the edges of the bread going jagged from his frantic sawing motions, before proudly presenting a sandwich to Seven.

When they are all sat down with their own sandwiches, they pick them up and begin eating. Five is smiling as he bites into his sandwich - not even complaining at the finger imprints that Four left in the bread when squashing it too hard.

Four thinks it tastes great but-

“It’s very chewy!” He says, teeth nearly sticking together with the marshmallow. Seven nods, exaggeratedly chewing on her own sandwich, but still smiling. They turn to glance at the outraged expression on Five’s face and burst into giggles. Then even Five’s lips twitch, caught in the moment.

“We should sneak down for midnight snacks more often.” Seven suggests.

“Yeah, we should.” Five says through a mouthful of marshmallow and peanut butter goo.

“The Midnight Munchies!” Four gasps. “And we could do it on Mondays! Monday’s Midnight Munchies!”

They all smile and nod.

And so, the new tradition of Mondays Midnight Munchies was born.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Klaus did remember to clue in the present Five before next Monday, and they did eventually invite Ben to the Monday Midnight Munchies club.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed seeing some Vanya!

**Author's Note:**

> I will be leaving the collection as incomplete until I finish the main story and know for sure that there aren't any extra scenes that I will be dropping here. 
> 
> There will be a second chapter posted over the Christmas holidays, but after that who knows :)


End file.
